Review: Pura Belpré

 Have you heard of the ALA Pura Belpré Award?

It's an award given to Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature.

And it's because of this woman here:

Pura Belpré grew up in Puerto Rico but came to the US for her sister's wedding. She never left. Instead, she found a job at a library where the head librarian was starting to admit children into the library. She wanted someone to engage them. 

Pura Belpré was a natural storyteller; she was very engaging. She spoke Spanish and brought cultural stories to a storytime. She created puppets to help elevate the storytime. She was a pioneer in the field of Librarianship. She wrote her own stories and wrote English versions of the Puerto Rician tales. 

My Thoughts: I've read a couple picture books biography about this amazing woman, but this book highlighted much more about her life. I loved learning about her. 

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school and public library's collection

Reviews: Children's Biographies

 We have two biography series that are popular at my library - Who Was/Is and She Persisted. With a new book order, a bunch came in. Here are my thoughts:

This was good - I loved how detailed the younger years were and how Maya Lin got her first big break. However, I would have liked more details pictures of her creations after the Vietnam Memorial. That seemed a little glossed over to me. 

This was a great read - not enough time spent on the Celtics (but I'm just picky because I bleed green). I enjoyed how this covered more than just basketball for Shaq. 

I'm a huge fan of Michelangelo's work - he's one of my favorite artists. This is a great biography of his struggles, his art, and politics of the time. 

I really enjoyed getting to know more about Diana Taurasi and her awesome skills at basketball. I only wished I had seen her play in person...

I enjoyed learning more about Alex Trebeck - especially his time before Jeopardy! and the other games he hosted and of course his moment with Queen Elizabeth. 

I confess I didn't know anything about Wilma Mankiller, but know I do! She's an impressive woman who has helped the Cherokee Nation. 

A little look into the life of the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. I enjoyed reading about her moment with Obama. 

* These two series are must have books for your school and public library collections.

Women's History Month: Nonfiction Children's Books

Showcasing a few Children's Biographies new to the library collection. These are all inspiring reads. 

While these Who Is books are shorter than the Who Was books, it's still full of information. This one talks about Greta Thunberg's realization that the world is changing due to bad habits. And that the climate change needs to stop - now. 

Wangari Maathai was surprised and unhappy when she learned about how the trees were being cut down in Kenya. She started a campaign called the Green Belt Movement and planted trees, saved forests and parks, and started spreading the word.

Sue Bird is basketball legend. 

Stacey Abrams is an amazing woman - romance author, lawyer, and politician. She is fighting against rules that make it hard for people to vote in Georgia. I can't wait to see what she does next. 

And if you missed it, here are a few older favorites:

 

Series Spotlight: She Persisted

She Persisted

I've read several of these books. I just finished:

And it was super good. Of course, I've heard of Maria Tallchief, but besides being awesome at dancing, I didn't know much. And I know a lot more. I know when she fell in love with ballet, how she went to New York City by herself, and how her sister was also a talented dance. I learned how she valued her Osage heritage, how she was the first American ballet dancer on many world stages, and that ballets were written just for her. 

Talk about inspiring! 

Every time I read a She Persisted book, I feel inspired by these women and their stories. I love their big dreams, their determination, and of course their persistence. These books are perfectly wonderful, perfectly feminist, and perfectly fun to read while learning about amazing women.

I'm so happy that more are being published. I have a few to catch up on. But I have so enjoyed the ones that I've read.

Library Recommendation: Must have books for your school and public libraries

Picture Book Review: She Persisted

13 American women who didn't give up and who conquered their dreams by not listening to the naysayers. 

A very sweet and inspiring story with amazing art work. I loved reading about this diverse group women and how they made their dreams come true. An important book in our world and one that should be in all libraries! 

And I wouldn't mind a few sequels.